Dilapidated TNSCB buildings to get fresh lease of life

Chennai, Oct 22 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu government will renovate or demolish and construct anew, all the over 35-year-old dilapidated Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board tenements in the wake of the building collapse in Coimbatore that claimed 13 lives.

Replying to a special mention moved by Kovai Thangam (Cong), Housing and Revenue Minister I Periyasamy said the government would hold talks with officials of all districts to inspect the buildings, which were more than 30 to 35 years old and renovate them.

If some of the buildings could not be renovated, they would be demolished and new buildings would be constructed in their place, he added.

He also assured that new houses would be constructed for the victims of the Coimbatore incident.

Narrating the sequence of the incident, Mr Periyasamy said majority of them had vacated the place based on the advice of revenue officials and were temporarily shifted to marriage halls.

Only five residents of the 24 apartments which collapsed due to heavy rains died, while the remaining eight were those who tried to save people from being caught inside.

The tenements of the Slum Clearance Board were a confused lot as they were misguided by some vested interests that they could not get fresh apartments, if they vacated them now.

However, the minister assured the House that all the victims would get new houses.

He said Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was closely monitoring the situation over phone till midnight on that day and had instructed him to provide treatment at government or private hospitals as per the wish of the injured.

UNI